Live a Little

If any of you are anything like I am, you're completely addicted to your cell phone. At any given time, I probably have my phone within five feet away from me if not in my hand or in my pocket. As I write, my phone is sitting at my side and as hard as it is to believe, I wasn't always this way.

I got my first phone when I was in 8th grade. It was a handy little trac-phone and my parents could easily track my minutes. I couldn't text or make constant phone calls. The main point of my parents giving me my phone was because I was very involved in high school. I played several sports and traveled often and I was also very involved in quite a few other activities and often needed for my parents to come and pick me up. It was later in my 8th grade year that they actually got me a cell phone with a contract and that's when the trouble began. In history my 8th grade year, I got my phone taken away because I got caught texting in class. From that, you'd think that I learned my lesson, but through the years, I've continued to use my phone in school and in class, which is probably why my grades aren't as good as they could be. Don't get me wrong, I still have pretty decent grades, but I could always do better.

Flash forward to last Thursday. Last week hadn't been the best week of my life and to be honest, it was ridiculously rough. I had gotten to the point where I needed to get away, so I took a drive to my parents house, put my phone on airplane mode, and listened to music as I took the backroads. It was the best type of therapy that I could have had. I had my windows rolled down, my music up, and was carefree. For once in I'm not even sure how long, I didn't look at my phone. I didn't reply to texts or emails and I certainly didn't have any phone calls to answer. As soon as I got to my parents house, I didn't even bother to keep my phone with me except for to quickly check for a message I had been waiting for.

My entire family came up from New Mexico and they were all at my parents house when I had gotten there. My little cousin (who's five) saw me and her eyes lit up. Since she was born, we've been practically inseparable when we're able to be together and not having my phone to distract me was great. I got to spend time with my family and I wasn't dependent on my phone for the rest of that night.

If you're anything like me, you're addicted and of course, not checking my phone every few seconds was difficult BUT it was definitely easier for me to be able to depend time with my family than if I had been using my phone.

My point? Don't be attached to your phone because you could miss the little things. Live a little.

I challenge every single person that reads this to not use their phone for at least 6 hours in one day. Just try it, I promise that, in the long run, it'll make you happier.